


Save the Cat, From the Cat’s Point of View

by Derpy_is_awesome



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Adora (She-Ra) Needs a Hug, Adora was worried af for Catra all season tho it was cute, Angst, Catra (She-Ra) Needs a Hug, Catra (She-Ra) Redemption, F/F, I watched the season like five times just so I could write angst and fluff for it, POV Catra (She-Ra), She-Ra Season 5, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Season 5 Spoilers, Temporary Character Death (Implied), This is basically Catra POV of the episode ‘Save the Cat’, dont mind me, enjoy, flangst, implied catradora, minor fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:54:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24227686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Derpy_is_awesome/pseuds/Derpy_is_awesome
Summary: She-Ra Season Five, Episode Five “Save the Cat”A self-indulgent angst rewrite of some scenes between Catra and Adora, all from Catra’s POVIf you haven’t watched Season Five yet or haven’t yet reached this episode please go ahead past this! Spoilers in tags!
Relationships: Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra) (Implied)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 168
Collections: Chipped Catra Fics





	Save the Cat, From the Cat’s Point of View

**Author's Note:**

> If you made it this far, welcome! This season of She-ra was amazing and I’m sad it has to end, but I will be making some completely self-indulgent fanfics/oneshots based on Catradora and the Best Friend Squad! If you’re interested, look forward to those plus any other fic updates coming you’re way!
> 
> Take some time to drop a comment or kudos! Either is appreciated! <3

“ _Let her go.”_

Catra shouldn’t feel pain.

Shouldn’t feel fear.

No one should feel fear when they’re happy.

But she can feel it.

Cold terror crawling along her spine, stiffening her shoulders, morphing her facial expression into one of subdued fear and hidden pain as a large hand with one pointed, sharp metal finger clasps down on her shoulder, the base of her neck held between a thumb and that one metal finger that pricks into her skin harshly.

Her mind is alive and buzzing with images, with activity and the thoughts of her Brothers, the most important thoughts coming from the eldest Brother, Horde Prime, who just so happens to be the one connected to the hand that instills such fear in her.

Such terror.

But that’s not right.

Horde Prime gave her peace.

He showed her the light.

She should be happy.

Shouldn’t she?

Something is wrong. No, not just something,  _everything_ here is wrong.

Her body isn’t her own. Not really.

Her eyes aren’t really seeing, they are watching but not for her own mind to process but for someone else to look through if they ever so pleased.

Her own mind isn’t hers.

It belongs to many.

Too many.

Thousands of the same, Brothers to her but not really hers to know.

They are all the same.

Cold. Almost lifeless.

Only He reigns supreme over them all.

Only He lives, they — even she — are all there to follow and serve.

Not to live.

Never to live unless chosen to be the next of his vessels. Unless honored with the chance of being a part of the same glorious mind-scape of Horde Prime.

The golden-haired girl before her is staring, light blue, almost gray eyes moist. Her mouth is slack, fear and dread dancing across her expression and Catra feels something else.

Feels guilt.

Feels sadness.

She shouldn’t be feeling.

Her own face is still contorted in the same fear and pain.

His hand covers her chip, almost plays with it at one point, a loving caress is what is told to her through their minds.

But it’s not a loving caress.

It can’t be.

No one loves her, Catra doesn’t matter.

No... Wait...

That can’t be right...

She does matter, Horde Prime made her matter, she is his Little Sister and that is who she is meant to be.

She matters to her Brothers.

They love her, surely they do.

They must!

If they don’t, then why is she still here?

She struggles to relax her expression, can’t until he releases her neck and his hand is no longer gripping any part of her body. Her face tenses and she hisses, squeezing her eyes shut as his grip tightens around her neck and she fears even more for a moment, even though her mind tells her she is replaceable. Her eyes open again and she catches onto his voice, unable to make out what he is saying but everything seems different.

She feels disconnected for a mere moment, eyes looking down back to the girl and her mind clears, and she recognizes the girl.

She only has time to remember her name, only has time to process its Adora who is there before her, sweat on her face and sweat building on Catra’s, before everything is gone and her mind is filled with activity once more. A peaceful sensation fills her mind and she lets it swallow her back in, tries to relax but still can’t with the grip around her neck, squeezing still. Only when her Brother releases her neck and brings his hand up to pet fondly at her hair can she blank out her face, smooth over her expression into a small, subdued smile and the feelings go away.

Which is good!

She shouldn’t be feeling.

But something is now missing inside.

She shouldn’t care about feelings, but being an emotionless servant is not how she was born, not who she was and not who she will be.

But these thoughts should not exist.

Horde Prime saved her. Set her free.

She should be fine with this life.

Catra then decided that she was.

She was fine with this. All of it.

Horde Prime saved her. He is her Brother. She matters to him. She is important and loved.

Something was still off.

Maybe she’d have to ask Prime to cleanse her again later, when her mission was complete.

Until then she’d be fine with ignoring these feelings. She shouldn’t have them and they’d be gone for good soon enough.

•••

“...I will leave you to it.”

Horde Prime is walking away, the hand petting lightly and fondly against her scalp moving away and Catra stands at attention, back straight and hands at her side.

From here, she knows what her Brother wants her to do.

From here, her instructions fill her mind as her Brothers leave.

Adora — no, the enemy — stands and Catra doesn’t hesitate, hands fisting before her claws are extending and she’s poised for battle, preparing to lunge as the girl stares at her with the same despair from before, now mixed with concern.

But Catra doesn’t care for concern.

She has her orders.

•••

The fight is blurry.

Catra only pays attention to where her opponent is and where best to strike to take them down.

Her hair falls loose, and she strikes, grabs Adora and holds her, her chest pressed to Adora’s back.

_ “It’s gonna be okay!” _

“Everything is already okay,” she replies to Adora without really knowing what it is the girl said. She hadn’t heard it clearly, she couldn’t process it even if she had heard. Someone is speaking for her, someone — something, maybe — imbedded deep into her mind now. “We are with Prime now; there is no need for you to suffer, Adora.” 

A clawed finger comes up, caressing the skin along Adora’s jawline lightly, and Catra guesses this motion could inflict the same feeling Horde Prime’s cold metal finger could when pressed against Catra’s own skin, but she pushed the unruly thoughts away.

“Come into the light with me—“

Adora yells, grabbing Catra by her clothing and tossing her harshly over her shoulder.

Catra rolls, grunting at the impact and feeling her face contort in pain once more as her chip is smashed, metal meeting it and half destroying it. It sparks, pain flaring but Catra laughs. Shoulders shaking, she laughs, head tilting back and mouth opening in a grin as she laughs with mirth.

_ “Snap out of it, Catra!” _

She can’t.

Adora,  _such an idiot_ ,  she  _can’t_.

_ “I don’t want to hurt you!” _

Catra laughs again, eyes closed and grin spreading.

Her laughter trails off and she speaks again, voice almost hollow, but smug in a way that reminds her of how Prime speaks, smug but proud of his success. “But you already have hurt me. Prime has set me free of that pain. The pain that you caused.”

She stood, stepping down away from Horde Prime’s throne, hands slightly spread.

“He will set us all free,” she murmured, a promise Prime had given her.

She crossed her hands over themselves, resting them against her heart and closing her eyes with a sweet smile, “Forever.”

“A world of peace,” she continued, “without end.” 

With that, Catra jumped, and the fight continued.

It blurred by again and she couldn’t tell what had happened.

When Adora struck her she felt no pain.

When she was shoved backwards, she stumbled to the edge of the platform where they fought and that’s where they came back.

Fear zapped through her, filled her mind and soul with panic but she could do nothing of it as she caught her balance.

Her name was called and she saw Adora reaching a hand out desperately before she looked over her shoulder at the drop right behind her. She looked back at Adora and laughed, another grin splitting across her face and showing off her fangs as she did so.

She took a step back as she laughed, almost a tease to the girl before her as her heart clenched with dread and terror because if she fell she’d be done for.

Would she be mourned if she died?

Horde Prime would save her again, wouldn’t he?

Her Brother wouldn’t leave her to die if she did fall.

Surely not.

But then Catra, still with a wild grin on her face was leaning back, and falling, falling, falling.

Her own emotions weren’t showing anymore, she wasn’t being privileged with that but she understood; it was natural that only Horde Prime showed his emotions freely since he was their rightful ruler.

Was her name called as she fell?

Was she still falling?

No, no she wasn’t falling anymore.

Why?

... Oh...

Hands gripped Catra’s biceps tightly, a vice grip that pulled her back onto her feet carefully.

Hands that hugged Catra close as the fear released her and was shoved away harshly in her mental space, hands that cradled her gently as the girl whimpered and Catra’s body moved of its own accord.

With one hand, Catra gripped Adora’s left arm, her other hand at Adora’s back, claws digging into her clothes and flesh.

And then, her mind was different.

The buzzing of the Hives changed to a single solitary buzz, thoughts flitting through her head that obviously didn’t belong to her.

Unbeknownst to Catra, pupils glowed in her lime green eyes, and her Brother spoke through her as she surrendered her mind to the higher power, an obedient Little Sister, as she was meant to be.

“Oh Adora...” the words were spoken in her voice, but they didn’t belong to her, “how long will you drag this out? You will destroy the ones you love in the process.” 

Catra pulled away from the hug, facing Adora, who’s face was covered in the trails of her tears. Catra moved, kneeing Adora in the gut before grabbing her by the collar of her jacket and switching their previous positions, Adora now hanging off the edge only held up by Catra’s grip.

This somehow rang familiar in Catra’s mind. A scene with Adora hanging off the edge of a cliff that fell into darkness, green goo-like substances hanging off of the red-tinged ground. A sword in Catra’s grasp before she threw it down to the darkness, leaving Adora to... die?

Maybe she had left Adora to die, but it was obvious the scheme hadn’t worked.

Unfortunate or not, Catra didn’t know.

It wasn’t up to her to decide.

•••

“She was afraid in the end, and she suffered. Perhaps I will make her my new vessel, though, she would not last me long. What do you think,” Catra tilted her head at the crying girl with a smirk, “Adora?”

In what seemed like a burst of rage, Adora yelled again, pushing against Catra and leading her back until she hit the delicate glass of the screens on the platform. Her chip got hit again, sending sparks flying and pain spearing through Catra harshly, though she couldn’t show it.

Her head tilted forward slightly, and she laughed again, shoulders shaking slightly.

She shuddered, lifting her head again as her mind cleared once more.

Then, focus returning to her, she looked up, only for everything to go fuzzy as her mind was rejoined with the Hives again.

_“I am not giving up on you, Catra!”_

Words filled Catra’s mind and she voiced them aloud obediently, “Then you’re a fool. You cannot stop Horde Prime. He will reign triumphant over all the universe. It is... destiny.” Something sparked again, the screens behind her flickered, and then suddenly more pain, pain she couldn’t remember ever feeling ever since being cleansed, filled her body, her mind, her very soul.

She cried out, eyes squeezing shut and couldn’t really process Adora holding her close, one hand cradling her head as the pain froze her limbs. 

“No!” She could’ve sworn someone — Adora? — cried out.

Everything grew slightly fuzzy, but she could feel herself being held and instinctively held onto her — who was Adora to her?

She felt herself being carried as the sounds of explosions filled her ears, before she felt the solidness of the platform against her side, head hanging down and only supported by Adora’s body holding hers up slightly.

Everything was weird now.

Her link to the Hive flickered, as if glitching, her connection to her Brothers — no, they weren’t — who were they to her? Who was she?

She grimaced, teeth clenching together as everything slowly came into focus, eyes opening gingerly. Adora hovered over her, hair let loose and draping down to cover her face slightly and blue eyes locked into Catra, concern so very obvious.

Catra gasped slightly, chest heaving as she felt irritation and the slightest edge of anger overcome her weakened body, “Adora-“ she let out, “you should’ve stayed away, why did you come back, we both know I don’t matter—!”

Adora’s expression grew pained as her hands gently cupped Catra’s cheeks. Firmly, she said, “You matter to me!”

Catra could feel tears building in her eyes, blinking them away and smiling at Adora for a brief second. Then her connection to the Hive snapped back to fill her mind and she could feel her own emotions and thoughts fading, gasping as she was forced away from her small moment of freedom.

She sat up, hitting Adora away from her with a firm slap to the blond’s cheek, watching her fall away.

She stood, walking briskly to the edge of the platform and stumbling slightly when her chip sparked, gritting her teeth and bending slightly, before crying out in pain, hands clasping together at where her chip is and stumbling again, closer to the edge.

“Come on Catra!” Adora’s voice was clear now, “You’ve never listened to anyone in your life! Are you really going to start now?”

The connections, her focus, it was all fading in and out so rapidly, but Catra turned regardless and growled, “You’re such an idiot!” She could hear how her voice broke at the end of her sentence, could feel her eyes moisten.

Adora was already crying again, grinning ever so brightly with joy in her eyes at Catra’s return, “Yeah! Yeah I know!” She exclaimed, nodding with the same smile in place.

Catra laughed, though she’d personally call it more of a sweet chuckle as Adora continued.

_ “I’m going to take you home!” _

She could practically feel her eyes turn to the same glowing green as before, groaning quietly in pain with a grimace as she hugged herself.

Eyebrows creased, she grit out softly, wincing at the bitter edge to her voice, “...Promise?”

Adora nodded again slightly, extending a hand in offering as she cried, “I promise!”

Catra was trembling, knowing that she was putting her entire trust into Adora.

She’d done so before. She’d gotten hurt. But... hadn’t she also hurt Adora?

Of course she had, there was no doubt about it and yet here Adora was, risking everything for Catra.

Once again.

Catra reaches out her own hand, still trembling horribly and almost afraid she’d miss Adora’s hand the first time if Adora wasn’t also reaching out with a quiet, “Adora...”

But then.

She felt him invading her mind a moment before he was actually there, felt the force of someone different prying past the defenses of the one place she used to think was safe.

With his invading force, her thoughts almost felt cramped.

But then they were gone.

Catra’s hand bent backwards slightly, twisting away from Adora’s reach.

The feline girl brought her hand to her forehead, letting out gasps of pain as she fought with herself, body shivering violently.

And then she had no control, left to simply watch what was happening and listen, left to simply process it all later.

“Disappointing. Some creatures are destined only for destruction.”

Everything was rushing back, her body back in her own and under her mind’s control, but it was too late.

Pain, pain similar to the one before but multiplied by ten clashed on a battlefield inside of her body, filling her up and making her scream as her chip sparked and sent fire through her veins.

Her body writhed as the chip did its work, before her scream died out and she went limp, falling, falling, falling.

Adora wasn’t close enough to catch her this time.

And then she was gone, pain filling her vision with black and she was  gone .

Gone.

And there was nothing anyone could do about it.

•••

Her breathing was shallow, fading as her mind fell away and her consciousness slipped. If she had been able to stay awake for just a moment more she would’ve felt Adora’s hands holding her.

But she was gone.

She was just a needless waste.

One who wasn’t waking up again.

Or so she thought.

•••

She awoke and began coughing slightly.

She opened her eyes and saw Adora holding her close.

She thought it was a dream, a cruel trick of her mind that gave her what she truly wanted but never received when living, she thought it was just a horrid bit of karma to her before she would be taken away into a white oblivion to suffer alone through death. She thought that maybe this was one last bit of happiness before she went through hell, and it’d all end if she even blinked.

So she didn’t blink, simply tucking her head against Adora’s side, smiling softly and mustering a quiet, but happy (lovestruck), “Hey, Adora...”

She blinked slowly, and felt a quiet sense of temporary relief when the dream didn’t fade.

Above her, Adora let loose a few tears, returning the small smile and holding Catra’s face close.

Adora then moved Catra, pulling her into a gentle hug that somehow stole Catra’s breath away, maybe through shock, before she took advantage of her “dream” and hugged Adora back, fiercely in a means of self-indulgence for the fear of waking up was one stuck at the back of Catra’s mind.

Or worse, simply having the dream fade and leave her to wander a white abyss alone.

She didn’t yet realize exactly where she was.

Nor who she was with.

She didn’t even realize she was alive again, not yet.

Just let Adora hug her as she tried to stay awake and failed, sleep eventually stealing her away despite herself.

But when she’d wake up a bit later, maybe she’d think about how this was a clear second chance.

She’d think and remember what happened as the Hive controlled her, watch the fight and watch until her death. She’d remember waking up again and thank whatever mightier being was up there for the second chance.

She’d make this one better.

She owed the others that much.

She owed  _Adora_ that much.


End file.
